An Injury Gone Right
by StarCrusader
Summary: Lucy gets severely injured during a solo mission, but Natsu takes care of her. What happens when they're alone and Lucy is loopy on her meds?


Lucy ran away from the monster, cursing herself for taking this job alone. What else could she have done, though? Natsu was on a mission with Happy, and she had rent to pay! The monster lifted his huge fist, bringing it down towards Lucy. At the last second, she jumped to her right, successfully dodging the monster's attack. It looked like a giant troll with wings, and instead of having a nose it had a third eye. She had never heard of anything like this monster before. When it would yell, it sounded like nails on a chalk board.

The monster tried to hit Lucy again, but she dodged again, picking up speed. In the distance, she saw the land drop off. _A cliff?!_ She cursed as she reached the edge. When she turned to fight the monster, she saw that it was grinning from ear to ear. Glancing over the side of the cliff, Lucy noticed that she was up _really_ high, and if she fell, she'd go straight into the sea.

"Shit..." She muttered, looking back up at the monster. She reached for her whip, pulling it from her belt. "I won't let you eat another person!" Lucy screamed, slashing her whip at the monster. It wrapped around its' wrist, and panic crossed over its' face. "Even if it means I have to go down with you!" Lucy shouted. It began to rain as she jumped over the cliff, dragging the monster with her.

It let out a loud shriek, trying to use its wings to fly away, but it couldn't. The wings were wet, and that only added weight to the mass of the monster. Lucy was the first to hit the freezing water. It felt as though a thousand knives were slashing into her skin, tearing her into pieces. As she broke the surface to take in sweet oxygen, something heavy hit her head, sending her back under the cold waters. The monster tried to escape the murky depths, but it had no such luck.

It took only a minute or two for the monster to be defeated, and Lucy was proud of herself. Sure, she hated taking a life, but if she had to for the sake of others, then she had to. Lucy tried to kick to the surface, but she wasn't moving. Panic overcame her body as she thrashed around, desperately trying to break free of this watery prison.

When Lucy looked down to see what the problem was, she let out a muffled scream. A plant had wrapped itself around her ankle, keeping her where she was. _Didn't an old man warn me about these plants?_ When Lucy looked over at the body of the creature, she noticed plants had wrapped themselves it, dragging it to the deaths of the sea. _Shit! Flesh-eating plants!_ Lucy cursed, reaching down and snapping the plant. She needed to get to shore before she drowned.

Lucy broke the surface of the water, gulping air while swimming towards the cliff. She began climbing up it, trying not to slip and fall. Her left foot slipped, and she yelped in pain. She caught glance of a red substance leaking from her calf to her ankle. Lucy looked away from the wound, trying to focus on climbing up the ledge. She was halfway there when she felt something wrap around her ankle.

She looked down, seeing the same plant as before, but it felt like it was _biting_ into her injured leg. She let out a scream, the teeth going deeper into her flesh. She rubbed her leg against the cliff, hoping that the rocks were sharpe snout the cut the plant off of her. It worked, but the teeth were left behind in her skin. Carefully, Lucy climbed up the cliff, trying not to slip again.

When she made it to the top, she nearly collapsed with exhaustion. She had to push herself to run away, or else the plant would surely come back for her. She took off in a crooked run, trying not to put too much pressure on her leg. She ran for what felt like hours, her mind clouding with exhaustion every now and then. When she reached the village, she collapsed in the middle of a street, where only a child saw her. The last thing Lucy heard was the child's scream, probably because Lucy looked like total shit.

 ** _~Later~_**

Lucy groggily came to, her head swimming with fuzzy memories of what had happened on the cliff.

"Miss? Are you awake?" Lucy slowly turned towards the voice, seeing the village mayor there.

"Hm?" Lucy slowly sat up, but was forced down when she felt like everything was spinning.

"Please, don't get up! You're injured pretty badly!" The man looked into her eyes with concern. He was a portly, elderly man.

"How long.. have I been passed out...?" Lucy was panting slightly.

"Two days, miss." Lucy's eyes widened. She was supposed to be home by now.

"I need to go home!" She said, trying to sit back up. Again, she regretted it, but she kept trying to get up, anyway.

"Miss, you can't right now. Besides... your leg..." The man looked away, trailing off.

"Huh?" When Lucy looked down at her leg, she saw it had _several_ stitches in it, The wound was a purplish white color. She gasped, eyes looking away with disgust.

"You're lucky to be alive, you know. Those plants have toxins in them that make skin decay. If you hadn't gotten here so soon, your leg would've been amputated. And your neck is hurt badly, too."

Lucy hadn't noticed it before, but there was a brace wrapped around her throat. "Oh, yeah..." Lucy mumbled, remembering that the creature landed on top of her. She realized how lucky she was to not have a broken neck.

"So, what happened, exactly? Why were you near those plants?" The mayor took a seat that the hospital provided. Lucy told him everything that happened, not leaving a single detail out. "Wow. You put your own life at risk for people you don't even know? That's very brave." The mayor smiled.

"So, when can I go home?" Lucy asked. She wanted to get back to let everyone know that she was okay.

"You can probably go back tomorrow if you want, but the doctors will probably put you on crutches. And they'll give you a neck brace."

"Thank goodness." Lucy sighed, feeling the weight on her chest being lifted. The nurses came back in, giving Lucy some medicine that would make the pain go away. After a while, she felt her mind cloud over, and she drifted off into a deep sleep.

 ** _~The Next Day~_**

Lucy woke up feeling refreshed, like she hadn't been hurt or nearly killed. She sat up, no longer feeling dizzy. When she saw her leg, though, she wanted to puke. She decided to touch it, to see if she could feel anything. When she touched it, her hand flew away from it. It was like touching a block of ice, which freaked her out.

"Ah, you're awake now. I assume you want to go home?" A doctor asked, a clipboard in hand.

"Yes, please." Lucy smiled.

"Okay, but there are things that we have to do first. You'll need to wear a brace around your neck for the next week. Also, we're going to have to put your leg in a boot. That way, no harm comes to it. We'll also give you crutches, just make sure you don't put pressure on your injured leg. Make sure you wash your leg every day to avoid any infections. Oh, and you won't be allowed to go on missions for about three months, or else you run the risk of further injury. Any questions?"

"Uh, what about pain killers? I can actually feel pain starting in my neck and calf..."

"Don't worry about that, it's taken care of. We have prescriptions set aside for you, and when we contacted the Magnolia hospital, they were more than willing to refill your medication when needed."

"Wow. So, that's it?" Lucy sighed, happy she got off easy this time.

"That's it. Now, let's get you out of here."

 ** _~Later~_**

Lucy arrived back in Magnolia, a smile spread on her face. She hobbled her way to the Guild, excited to see everyone again. Her crutches would dig into her armpits, but Lucy knew she'd have to get used to it. She struggled to open the door, but when she did, she yelled at the top of her lungs.

"I'm home!" Everyone in the Guild stopped what they were doing, staring at the celestial mage.

" _Lucy!_ " Everyone seemed to scream. They ran towards her, and her eyes widened in fear. Luckily, Erza stopped everyone, pointing out the Lucy was injured.

"Nee, Erza, where's Natsu?"

"Hm? He was pretty worried about you, I think he said something about your apartment." Lucy thanked her, and hobbled her way home, a grin plastered on her face.

It took her a while to get there, but when she was, she could hardly contain her excitement. _I can't wait to see Natsu!_

She opened the door and hobbled in, closing it behind her. She made her way to her bedroom, where Natsu and Happy were peacefully sleeping on her bed.

"Natsu, wake up! You're in my spot." Said boy shot up at the sound of her voice, eyes wide.

"Luce, you're ba-" He stopped talking when he saw all of her injuries. "L-Luce?" He asked, shocked. "W-what happened?!" Natsucould only stare at her.

"Well, it's a long story..." Lucy said, looking away from his steely gaze.

"I have time."

So, Lucy told him everything that happened. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Natsu. But really, I'm okay!" Lucy tried to smile, but winced. Her neck was beginning to hurt again, so she took out the pain killers the doctors gave her. Natsu watched her every move, making sure she wouldn't hurt herself by accident.

"Crap. I still have to wash my leg." Lucy grabbed her crutches, knowing she didn't have too long before the pills sent her to sleep.

"Want me to help?" Natsu asked, standing up and steadying her.

"Oh, no, it'll be okay. It's not a pretty sight, Natsu. Trust me." She smiled again, making her way to her bath tub. As she sat down, she heard Natsu close the door behind his as he entered. "N-Natsu?"

"You're my best friend, Luce. I'm here for you no matter what. Happy, on the other hand, says he has a weak stomach." Natsu sweat dropped, a small smile on his face.

Lucy nervously took off her boot, then shuddered when she saw her discolored leg. She glanced at Natsu to see what he was thinking, and he looked to be in disgust and shock. This made Lucy tear up a bit, feeling as though she had just been rejected. _Not Natsu. Please not him. I wouldn't care if anybody else rejected me, but I can't live with him doing it._ Long ago, Lucy decided that she wanted to be more than friends with Natsu, but she never confessed these feelings to anybody.

"If it looks that bad, then get out." Lucy whispered, not looking at him. Her heart felt a throbbing pain when he didn't say anything.

"N-no, Luce. It's not that bad. Let's do this." Natsu gave her a smile as he turned the water on. However, his smile faded instantly when the two were doused with cold water. "Ack!" He realized that he turned on the shower by accident, and he quickly shut off the water. He was too late, though; the damage had been done.

Natsu stared at Lucy in fear. "L-Luce... I-" He was cut off by a noise erupting from Lucy's throat. "Luce?" He asked, worried that she was crying.

"Hahahaha!" Lucy began to laugh louder, catching her partner by surprise. "God, Natsu, I've missed you so much!" She kept laughing until her neck hurt from the strain. Lucy wiped a tear away, then pulled Natsu into her bosom, hugging him tightly. "Never leave me again." Her mind was feeling groggy from the medicine kicking in. "I love you too much..." And everything went black for Lucy.

 ** _~Natsu~_**

Natsu stared at Lucy as she laughed hysterically, wondering why the hell she wasn't yelling at him for getting her all wet.

"God, Natsu, I've missed you so much!" She cried out, still laughing. Natsu's cheeks were dusted pink with a blush, his heart skipping a beat. _Why does this feeling always happen when I'm with her?_ Natsu wondered, his stomach filled with butterflies.

Natsu's eye widened as Lucy grabbed him, hugging his face. He could tell that her medicine was making her sleepy, considering Lucy wasn't really this affectionate. "Never leave me again." Natsu was about to say that he wouldn't, but Lucy spoke up again. "I love you too much..."

Natsu's heart stopped, but as he felt Lucy falling backwards, his instincts kicked in. He caught her gently, bracing her neck. He didn't want her to be sore when she woke up. He set her down in the bath and began to run the water. He knew he had to clean her leg, but he couldn't hold onto her _and_ clean. He carefully washed it, shivering when he noticed how cold it felt.

When he finished, he drained the water, but didn't know what to do. Lucy's body was all wet, and she shouldn't go to bed like that. He shrugged, picking her up and carrying her soaking body to her bedroom. When there, he set her down on the floor, drying first her leg, then her other limbs.

 _Sorry Luce, but I have to do this..._ Natsu undressed her carefully, then quickly redressed her in some pajamas. It wasn't like he hadn't seen it before.

"You _liiiiiiiike_ her!" Happy squealed.

"H-Happy!" Natsu's face turned scarlet.

"Nee, Natsu, shouldn't she be in bed?" Happy asked.

"Yeah." Natsu picked her up and softly set her down on her bed. He wrapped her leg in some bandages, then pulled the covers up to her chin. She had a soft smile on her face while she slept, and Natsu couldn't stop thinking about what she said.

 ** _~The Next Morning~_**

The smell of bacon cured Lucy out of her sleep, making her stomach growl. Lucy sat up, her feet touching the ground. When she didn't notice any pain in her left foot, or neck, she was surprised. When she looked down at her leg, she shrieked.

"What? What?" Natsu ran into the room as Lucy screamed. "What's wrong?!" He asked, grasping Lucy's shoulders.

"My leg!" She cried. "It-it! Look!" Natsu inspected her leg, noticing that there was only a scar left from the injury.

"Is Lucy-san okay?!" Wendy ran into the room, concerned.

"W-Wendy?" Lucy asked. "D-did you?"

"Yup! Natsu-san asked me to come over to help you. It took a long time, but I finally fixed your leg and neck." She smiled sweetly at Lucy, who began to cry. "W-why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?!"

"Thank you so much, Wendy!" Lucy stood up, walking over to the young mage. _Walking!_ Lucy hugged Wendy until she couldn't breathe anymore.

"It's my pleasure! Anyway, I gotta go, Lucy-san, Natsu-san. Charle, Happy and I are going on a mission. Bye!" The girl and the two cats left, leaving Natsu and Lucy all by themselves.

Then the flashback happened.

 _"Never leave me alone again."_

 _"I love you too much..."_

Lucy's eyes widened as she remembered, her cheeks redder than Erza's hair. When she turned to Natsu, his face was really red, too.

"Crap..." Lucy mumbled, feeling tears well up. She never planned on confessing. She didn't want to singlehandedly ruin the beautiful friendship she and Natsu shared.

"Uh, Lucy, about last night..." Natsu wouldn't meet her eyes. _Oh, no. I messed up! He's going to flat out reject me!_

"Huh?" Lucy felt tears beginning to stream down her face from embarrassment. "Natsu, I-"

"I love you too." He blurted, not meeting her gaze.

"W-What?" To say that Lucy was shocked was an understatement. She wiped away her tears, and slowly made her way towards Natsu. She noticed him tense up when she got closer, but relaxed when she threw her arms around him. His arms wrapped around her waist, holding her tight, never wanting to let go.

"Uh, Natsu? What smells like fire?" Lucy asked, pulling away. His face dropped as he remembered the forgotten bacon. "And I don't remember changing last night..." Lucy trailed off.

"U-uhhh..."

"Lucy kick!" Lucy smiled as she kicked Natsu into the kitchen, so he could deal with the bacon. _I'll deal with his perviness later..._


End file.
